Bittersweet Symphony
by HotxBuns
Summary: A detective, Hannah Knox, hired by the US is sent to help with further investigations of the Kira case. L is baffled. Is there something behind detective Knox that he finds unsettling? LxOC  Based on both movie and anime
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first anime/manga fanfiction ever, so please take it easy on me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm surprised that you were actually able to make some time for me in your busy schedule, Light," the redhead said politely, crossing her legs as the two of them slipped into the seats in the coffee shop. There was something highly flamboyant in the manner the redhead acted, from the way she leaned forward on the table casually, her elbows propped on the table – to the way she threw the abundance of her red mane over her shoulder. A flicker of mischief glittered in her eyes, bathing her whole atmosphere as that of a teenager's, almost making people think that she wasn't in her mid-thirties already. <em>

"_Not a problem, Hannah." After ordering a cup of cappuccino for the two of them, he leaned back against the leather backing of the seats. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me about?"_

* * *

><p>The pair of large grey eyes never left the screen, even when a knock was heard on the door. Hunched over in his chair he slowly rocked back and forth as a pale index finger trailed against the monitor, searching for the name that the search engine had come up with. "Come in," he said in his usual laid-back manner, spooning another mouthful of millefeuille goodness into his mouth. The banging stopped on the door for a few seconds, then came sailing past his head, crashing into the wall beside him. Sticking one foot to the ground, he immediately swiveled his chair around, only to see a business-suit clad individual standing where a door was supposed to be. His face betrayed no look of any special emotion, the only betrayal being that the smudgy spoon he held in his hand fell to the ground in a distinct clatter.<p>

"Just so you know, your 'secret' service keep their doors _locked_, Ryuuzaki."

His thin lips twitched upwards in an attempt to smile as he saw the silly blue 'Hi! My name is…' tag pinned onto the person's business suit. "Hello, Detective _Knox_. This is quite…ironic." He stuck his thumb in his mouth, gently chewing on the skin as his did his best to mask his shock behind his large grey eyes. "I do hope you know that you can be sued for damaging their doors, dear."

"Oh, please." Agent Knox paused, eyeing the detective with a wary glance as she threw a handful of her red hair over her shoulder. "You're staring at me. Do you think I'm incompetent to solve this case because I'm a female?"

"No…only…" The black-haired male's eye twitched at her question then swiveled his chair back towards the computer screen. "… partially." Agent Knox rolled her eyes as he began picking at his millefeuille cake once more. "I am being assisted by many Japanese agents already, they are quite capable. I don't need a fifth wheel."

Knox sighed exaggeratedly, walking over to him and taking the plate of cake away from him. "I'm not here to be your little helper, Ryuuzaki. I work for the U.S. government, and I'm employed to work on international threats no matter where or who is already on the case. I don't give a fuck, two shits, and a damn if you need or don't need an assistant, _L_."

"Hmm, still feisty as ever," he mumbled, fingers twitching from the loss of his pastry. "Want some? You can have some of it if you like," he asked, gesturing to the sweets she held captive in her hand.

"If you forgot, I'm lactose intolerant." she said firmly, placing it back down on the table. She shuffled through a pile of paperwork that lay near on his desk, a mountain high mess of unfinished business and files. His eyes grew larger as he stood up from his crouched position, tumbling over in a heaped mess by her feet. Knox paid little attention to him as she still continued to search his paperwork.

"W-What are you doing?" he asked worriedly, eyeing the paperwork she was forking through. "That's important and top-secret files, you shouldn't-"

Knox clicked her tongue as she seemed to have finally found something of importance, brown eyes scanning the paper. She shook her head as she saw many blank spaces on the paper where there should have been signatures and writing. "When are you going to fill this out?" she shoved the paper in his face.

"I was just going to."

"It's been more than a month, L. My lawyer needs it."

"Why so hurried?"

"Because you've taken forever, in all aspects of the word."

"You act very much unlike before, Knox."

"And that is?"

"…you don't smile anymore."

"Just sign the motherfucking paper, L," she growled, pulling out a pen from her breast pocket and handing it to him.

With a sigh he took the paper reluctantly, and etched off a signature on the line all the way at the bottom. His pale eyes were obviously narrowing down as he filled in some of the blank spaces that needed to be answered, then handed it daintily to Knox. "Here."

"Thank you," she replied, taking the paper and putting it into one of the folders she had brought along with her. Hungry eyes glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, as if he was absorbing her whole image, doing his best to preserve her like a picture in his memory. "Will you quit that, L, it's highly disturbing."

"I suggest you stop using my name, considering that Kira needs names to kill people. To you and to everyone in this case, my name is Ryuuzaki. So please call me by that," he said, as Knox placed the cake back before him. "And we'll get along fine."

"Whatever you like, L," she replied, walking back to the door-less entryway. "I'll be working in this office as well from now on…but for now, I'm going to sleep in the provided rooms. You should get some rest too."

He nodded soberly, his eyes going to the cake that Knox had replaced before him, then back to her, walking into the hallway. Gulping silently, he looked back at the millefeuille.

It didn't look as tasty as it was before.

* * *

><p>Any comments? Is there something you want me to fix? Please review!<p>

Review = Cookehs; cookehs = happy me; happy me = more chapters for you!

/HotxBuns


	2. Chapter 2

Here's my second chapter! I hope you enjoy it :D

* * *

><p>"Hello, my name is Hannah Knox, I'm a detective and representative of the United States government for the Kira case," the female said formally, extending a friendly hand towards the teenage male whom Matsuda had introduced as Light. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your father is really hardworking and very friendly."<p>

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Knox," he returned politely, shaking her hand firmly. "Are you going to be working with L?"

She nodded her head, pushing back some stray hairs that kept getting in her face. "I'll be personally working with him, although it's not exactly what I had expected, you know, to work with the best detective in the world." She made exaggerating hand motions in the air, causing the teenager to laugh. They both stopped walking as they reached the end of the hall, where a door should have been was merely an empty doorway, with some hinges hanging loosely.

"I see," Light said as the two of them walked toward the joint-office containing all the equipment. "So, where did you learn to speak Japanese so fluently, Miss Knox?"

"Right, _that_. When I was still in an orphanage, at Whammy's, I used to read language books all the time when I was bored," she said, licking her lips.

"You lived in an-"

"Hello, Light," a wizened old man with grey hair approached them, a cheery look imprinted on his wrinkly face. "Hello, Miss Knox, how was your lunch break?"

"It was fine, thanks, but my palette is still getting used to Japanese cuisine – I've got to tell you, _karagge_ is delicious and definitely ingenious, Mr. Watari," she said enthusiastically, her brown eyes swimming with the memories of the delicious deep fried chicken fillets. "_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand_ so, I also think I have cracked one of the systems that led to the video the 'second' Kira during my lunch. Ha, beat _that_."

From over the other side of the room where all the computers and piles and piles of candy wrappers emerged a crooked figure, dressed in a long white sweater and baggy jeans. Atypical dark kohl-like circles rimmed underneath his large eyes as he slowly walked over to the side of the three, barefooted. "How's it going, Light, Hannah?"

"You owe me one, Ryuuzaki," Hannah simply stated, shoving a bag into his chest before walking off to one of the desks where with the name "Knox" on the calendar. "I nearly lost half my lunch break looking for the candy store. Next time you get me my hamburgers."

Several of the agents within the office were thrown a glance from the black-haired male. "Will do," he replied quietly, taking out an enormous striped lollipop from the bag. Unwrapping it gingerly, he motioned towards Hannah as soon as she had her back turned.

In an instant, several of the agents standing nearby pounced on Hannah, covering her face with a large black bag. She thrashed her arms and legs around as she screamed profanities, yelling that she would get the US to sue Japan for doing this act.

"What are you guys doing to Miss Knox?" Light demanded angrily, running over to her. L stopped him, grabbing onto his arm roughly with such pressure that he was sure would leave a bruise.

"Stay in your place," L said in his drowsy voice. "She is now one of the believed Kira suspects. We'll be taking her in for further investigation. We will question her to see if she is guilty of being Kira. If she's innocent, we'll give her a burger and she'll continue her work."

Light's eyes followed the thrashing form of Hannah as she was dragged into one of the long hallways ahead. A tiny shiver ran down his spine when he suddenly heard the shrieking stop, and only the sound of shoes being dragged against the floor filled the air. "And what will happen if she _is_ proven guilty, Ryuuzaki?" he asked tentatively. "What will happen to her?"

L's fingers twirled the lollipop stick before he stuck it in his mouth. "I've told you that before haven't I? Kira will be executed for crimes against humanity. Just because Hannah is female makes no exception at all."

"You mean you're going to kill her."

L scoffed silently as he began typing on the keyboard with only two fingers. "You say it wrong, Light. We will not merely 'kill' her. Kill sounds ordinary like the way Kira does the victims. To execute especially by all the governments of the world is just and righteous." L went back to his desk, sitting in a fetal position as he swirled the lollipop in his mouth.

Light exhaled. "Let's hope she's not Kira, then."

"Mm."

. . .

"_Hello, I'm Hannah! What's yours?" the shorter red head extended her hand towards the taller boy. He was silent as he eyed her, then her hand. Taking it in his, he gently brought it to his lips. There was obvious speculation in his eyes as he looked at her. He found it odd that she had just been orphaned, yet was in such a peppy and cheerful mood. _

"_It's an honor to meet you, Miss Hannah," he said, letting go of her hand. "My name is L." Dressed in a simple long-sleeved shirt and baggy jeans, his clothes would naturally make him look like any normal teenager, if it wasn't for the rest of his appearance. At about sixteen years old, he would be rather tall for his age if he hadn't stood so crookedly, making himself almost the same height as the girl. Dark circles were lined beneath his large eyes, and messy black hair framed his pale, thin face. "Are you new here to this place?" _

_The female nodded. "Yup, I just got here this morning. I'm not really familiar with the place, can you help me? I've gotten lost more than three times today, and no one's given me a tour of it yet."_

"_Then you do need to be shown around, Miss Hannah," L said solemnly. "I'll show you all the places you need to know here. We can start at the foyer, if you like."_

* * *

><p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! L's and Hannah's past is being slowly unraveled now :D<p>

Reviwes = cookehs; cookehs = happy me; happy me = moar chapters for you!

/HotxBuns


	3. Chapter 3

Here's my third chapter, and I hope you like it; snippets of her past are being revealed. It does seem she is quite the shady character ;D

* * *

><p><em>"How old were you when you came here?" Hannah asked him, twirling a long red lock of hair in between her fingers. Loud echo-y sound clacked from her feet; L looked down. She was wearing a pair of slightly-heeled boots, and they were made of fine leather. Probably even Italian.<em>

_"I was abandoned when I was but a newborn," he delivered smoothly. The way he said it sounded as if it was practiced often…or he didn't care at all. "About five weeks old."_

_As they walked through the locker corridor of school division, several glances were cast at both L and Hannah. Some of the boys stared on while the girls gave Hannah some contriving looks. "I'm so sorry."_

_"Don't be. All my happy memories have stemmed from this here institution," he said dryly, as one of the buff-looking teen jocks gave him the birdie. Ignoring him, L continued, "And I know you'll enjoy it here, but maybe not as much as your previous home."_

_A scoff escaped Hannah's lips as they exited the corridor, and went out under the cloudy grey sky of England. "What made you think my previous home was better than this?" she asked in a bitter tone. As he slightly furrowed his brow, she immediately stammered, "I-I'm sorry if that sounded rude, I didn't mean it to be." Her cheeks flushed slightly, the color of a pink Mother's Day carnation._

_"Not a problem," he said in his groggy voice. He looked up at the sky, where the sun was hidden by the clouds. If it hadn't been England, his eyes would probably ache at what he was doing. "So…what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"_

_"Well you see-" then she broke off and paused, wrinkling her forehead as if she was in deep thought. Looking up at L, she mumbled quietly, "I don't exactly remember…it seems so foggy and clouded. I remember shouting and screaming and loud sound, but aside from that, I don't remember."_

_L's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, then returned back to its normal large size. If one had known L that long, they wouldn't have noticed the suspicion and calculating gaze that lay hidden in those big black eyes. They were figuring out plans, counting, plotting and sizing up everything, turning gears and locks in place. What was up with this girl? Was she insane or something? There was definitely something weird and uncanny behind that giggly smile and that happy exterior. And didn't she just snap all of a sudden? "I see…well, sometimes one can forget important things," he said in a rather sarcastic tone. "Maybe you should speak to Dr. Renault, the institute's psychiatrist; he can help you trigger some of those missing memories." He wanted to add that it wasn't abnormal to have Wammy send the kids to the shrink – heck, he'd be sent in several times for making up aliases._

_"I think that'll help," she said with a smile as she sat down on the grass with a plop, without a care in the world for grass stains on her clothes. "Why won't you sit down next to me?" she asked, patting on the well-trimmed grass next to her. "We can watch cloud formations." She stretched out and lay on the grass, using her arms as pillows as she crossed them behind her head._

_L let out a sigh and smiled faintly as he lay down beside her, their forearms touching. He looked up at the bleak English sky. "Hannah, if you haven't noticed, the sky you're looking at is so packed with clouds you can't see them anymore."_

_"Hmm…hope springs eternal!"_

_"…"_

* * *

><p>L cleared his throat before turning on the small microphone that stood on the table. Matsuda, Light, Mr. Yagami, Watari, and L peered onto the multiple LCD screens that showed Hannah Knox strapped on the table. She was wearing a maximum security strait jacket, and on top of that, was completely chained down onto the table with a blindfold.<p>

"I-Is that really necessary, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked L as he stacked some marshmallows one on top of the other.

The latter was silent for a few seconds before looking up at the screen and answering, "She's a highly dangerous individual, Light; these are merely safety precautions to make sure she doesn't get loose and start throttling people."

Light's jaw went slack. "What-"

"Ahem," L interrupted, speaking into the mic. "Good afternoon, Miss Hannah…er…_Knox_. You have been suspected as the second Kira, via cameras and googling." The last one added was barely a whisper, but an obvious smirk could be seen on the female's face through the screen. "I have also screened your records, and while it happens to be true that you are employed by the United States Government since 2000, you have faked your past history and have done a lot of…how shall I say it? Shady things that would definitely sort you as one of the second Kira suspects."

A wry smirk spread across Hannah's face as a tiny chuckle left her lips. "Care to state those 'things,' L?"

"It's-" The black-haired inspector resisted the urge to facepalm as he gritted his teeth. "Stop calling me by my first name."

"I'll call you what I like, thank you. Last time I checked, Japan was a free country."

As if to relieve him of his anger, he squashed a couple of marshmallows in his hand until it was merely mush. "Hannah, _dear_, if you keep this up, I'm personally going to go over there and-"

"Molest me while I have a blindfold?"

Light couldn't help but snicker as L facepalmed with the sticky marshmallows and groaned. "Several criminals here in Japan have been killed mysteriously – through heartattacks, all ever since you came here. There was one however, which seemed to look like a trademark of yours: drugged, mutilated, and drowned in their own blood. Funny," he paused as he removed his hand and scraped off the remains from his face. Pink streaks were visible from the scraping of nails on his flesh. "You think it's all coincidence or was it your nature to snap like that when you witness a crime?"

Those watching Hannah through the screen saw her face pale and suddenly her mouth pinched into a tight, thin line. Only a close observer, that being a certain black-haired individual, saw a small tear run down from her blindfold and past her cheek. "You've got nowhere to turn anymore," L said in his drowsy toned voice. Then, lowering his voice so that no one except he and the female could hear, "Hannah…_Birthday_."

* * *

><p>HA. She is screwed up. And yes, I took some liberties with it at that XD Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and please take some time to review!<p> 


End file.
